New Discoveries at Jamestown eBook

The highlight of archeological discoveries at Jamestown
is undoubtedly the long-forgotten buildings themselves,
ranging from mansions to simple cottages. Since
no accurate map of 17th-century “James Citty”
is known to survive, and as only a few land tracts,
often difficult to adjust to the ground, have come
down to us, archeologists found that the best way
to discover evidence was to cast a network of exploratory
trenches over the area of habitation.

During its whole century of existence, the settlement
was never an integrated town. The first frame
houses quickly rotted away or succumbed to frequent
fires. Brick buildings were soon erected, but
probably not twoscore ever stood at one time during
the 17th century.

Bearing in mind that the massive church tower is the
only 17th-century structure remaining above ground
today, and the only building whose identity was therefore
never lost, you will find only one other identified
with positive assurance—­the Ludwell House—­Third
and Fourth Statehouses row. The remaining 140
structures so far discovered by excavating have no
clear-cut identity with their owners. To complicate
matters more, bricks from many burned or dismantled
houses were salvaged for reuse, sometimes leaving
only vague soil-shadows for the archeologist to ponder.
From artifacts associated with foundation traces,
relative datings and, usually, the use of the structure
can be deduced from physical evidence. Unless
a contemporaneous map is someday found, we shall know
little more than this about the houses at Jamestown
except for the testimony of assorted hardware, ceramics,
glassware, metalware, and other imperishable reminders
of 17-century arts and crafts.

Churches

The first church service at Jamestown was held under
a piece of sailcloth in May 1607. The first frame
church, constructed within the palisades, burned with
the entire first fort in January 1608, and was eventually
replaced by another frame structure after the fort
was rebuilt. The exact date of the first church
to stand on a brick foundation is uncertain, possibly
1639. Brick foundation traces, uncovered in 1901
by John Tyler, Jr., a civil engineer who volunteered
his services for the Association for the Preservation
of Virginia Antiquities, lie behind the free-standing
brick church tower which remains the only standing
ruin today. The modern brick structure and roof
enclose and protect the footing evidence of the walls
of two separate churches and a tile chancel flooring.
Indication of fire among these foundations was noted
by Tyler.